134 IWYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE LANDLORDS. 



" I,et me commend tliee fiiht to those that shall 

 Say yea to ihy desires." 



Coiiolaiiiis, act iv, scciw 5. 



Li tlie early days of tlie Royal Rock Beagles, the piinci[)al landowners 

 of ^Virral were generally resident upon their estates, and as most of them 

 regularly hunted with the Hooton hounds, they were disposed to look upon 

 sport in general with friendly eyes. With one exception, all who were 

 approached on the subject met the proposal for the beagles to hunt over 

 their property with cordiality, nearly all stipulating that Sir William Stanley's 

 sport with the foxhounds should not be interfered with, and that the rights 

 of the shooting men should be everywhere respected. The R.R.B. Com- 

 mittee were able to assure the landlords on these matters, and also to 

 announce that the tenant-farmers were complaisant enough to welcome the 

 beagles on their farms. 



The large estates, especially at the north end of Wirral, have in many 

 cases changed hands, and have been much cut up for building ]:)urposes. 

 Only in five or six instances do the descendants of the original owners reside 

 on their estates, the mansions of the others being mostly sold or let to 

 Liverpool merchants, many of whom have also acquired the sporting rights. 

 At the present day we do not come much into contact with the landowners, 

 but depend on the goodwill of the farmers and shooting men for a con- 

 tinuance of our sport. 



Among the original landowners of 1S45 or their descendants who still 

 reside in the district and allow us to hunt over their property, may be 

 mentioned Birkenhead Glegg, Esq., of Backford ; R. T. Richardson, Esq., 

 of Capenhurst ; Uvedale Corbett, I'^sq., of Ashfield ; and W. Webster, Esq., 

 of Upton. Nearly all these gentlemen are well-known sportsmen in the 

 district, and to all we are much indebted for a cordial welcome to our 

 hounds. It will not be without interest to the present generation of beaglers 

 if a short reference is made to the principal landlords who were in any way 

 concerned in the inauguration of the R.R.B. Hunt, and also to those who 



